Monday, September 15, 2008

Wisdom

Three girlfriends and I are studying a book by Debi Pearl called Created to be his Help Meet. During my reading this week, I was encouraged to do a word study on wisdom.

After studying different verses, I can see a clear delineation between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. God tells us that His wisdom is better than anything in this world, but warns us of worldly wisdom. The latter leads to pride and self-righteousness. Godly wisdom is found only is Scripture and is scorned by the world. Worldly wisdom is lauded by man but is a foolishness to God.

I had always heard this verse regarding wisdom:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God." James 1:5

God promises to give us what spiritually profits us, if only we ask. But it is not enough just to ask for wisdom. How can we ask for something if we do not understand it? What is wisdom and why do I want it?

"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." Job 28:28.

The Lord I serve is fully love and fully grace. However, He is also fully judgment and fully wrath. He judges the intentions of the heart of man. He is great and terrible- his power is unparalleled! This is not a popular dimension of the Holy Lord. The fear of God- why we should fear God- is not talked about much. Certainly God loves us- more than any human heart could fathom. He willingly and sacrificially sent His Son to die for my sins, and your sins. As a Father, He saw His Son die for His enemies. That kind of love is beyond my comprehension. But He also righteously sends to hell those why refuse Him. It is wisdom to understand that and meditate on it and keep it at the forefront of one's mind. A right view of God and a right view of self is wisdom. Upon that, a Christian can frame the thoughts and actions of one's life.

I should not seek to gather wisdom from books and peer-reviewed journals and even the internet if my motives are to have others think more highly of me. Shame! Worldly wisdom is fine to gather, of course. There are so many things to learn, and God has given us curiosity and a brain that stores information. He has given us men and women who are wise and wiser. We are wise to learn from them. But our motive should not be, even privately, glory for self. We should seek glory for God. To fear Him and to love Him and to glory in Him, that is wisdom.

No comments:

LinkWithin

Voice of Foundations

The Man of the House

Loves: God, me, his children, his smelly pound dog, the dark caverns of the stock market, Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, church, planting things that grow, crazy action films, and a good cup of coffee on a weekend morning. Does not like: peas and drama.

Search This Blog

Know Anybody Getting Married?

The Perfect Moment

Daniel Boone Photography

Welcome

Woodward Family Foundations

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." II Tim 3:16-17

The Lord God: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours" (1 Chron 29:11)

Our Family: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" (Eph. 5:31-32)

Finances: "...charge them not to be haughty, nor to set theirhopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richlyprovides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Tim 6:11)

Health and Nutrition: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God i your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (I Cor 6:19-20)